There was a really good detailed discussion about the City Rail Link project this morning on Radio NZ’s Insight Programme:
The plan to build a commuter rail tunnel under downtown Auckland now overshadows the relationship between the Government and the region’s leadership.
At $2.4 billion dollars, the 3.5km tunnel would be the most expensive single transport project ever built.
Insight looks behind the political rhetoric and examines why the Town Hall and the Beehive have such differing views over the proposed project.
Processing...
Seems crazy to think Mr Joyce’s plan is to not even start thinking about building the link for another 10 years when the system will be at breaking point. We’ll be able to re-live RWC Friday overloading every night!
Which projects do you think are most deserving of the “it didn’t change anything, what were you guys thinking” award? By all accounts the motorway extension through Manakau made things worse, so guess it doesn’t qualify. Widening Norwestern motorway without providing any busway or car pool provisions?
I find it quite amazing how quickly public knowledge of this project has grown. I hadn’t heard of it a couple of years ago and I imagine most people hadnt either. I think its slowly gathering an unstoppable momentum and knowing this National government, eventually they will cave and agree to fund it. It may take a few years but I think it will happen.
Very good discussion, clearly shows that the Minister and the Ministry can only think of a project in terms of benefit for roading. The CRL is totally outside of their mental construct. And I agree, if the only benefit you are prepared to count is how many cars will be removed from our roads then why do anything; just increase the petrol tax significantly, that’ll do it, and be revenue positive. Auckland will wither of course, but there is nothing in the National Party’s attitude that suggests that they care about that [‘what’s wrong with small towns?’].
In the end this shows that the debate really comes down to what sort of city you want AK to be: modern, clean, connected and dynamic; or a car and bus clogged, unpleasant and mediocre backwater.
Very, very good piece. Good balanced reporting, gets all the important voices in there and the PT/urbanist viewpoint came out on top. Now to get something like this onto primetime TV…
Fantastic piece. Right team how do we kick on and establish this as a
Key election issue? Can we frame Fridays events as a fresh call for more investment in integrated transport from the central government?
Generationzero.org.nz is a start!
That’s hilarious on one side you have Auckland Council,Price Waterhouse Coopers, Academics in NZ and Australia, the SST business columnist, an economist and the Labour party. On the other side you have Steven Joyce. His entire argument consists of “if you want trains you have to have the density of Hong Kong” he actually sounds out of his depth when discussing the subject.
Good to see the urban density argument was totally debunked. From my experience Auckland is anything but sprawly when you compare with the Australian cities. Glen Eden, Manurewa and Birkenhead have higher densities than inner Melbourne and Sydney. No wonder our motorway system is such a mess.
Mmm, I think that the public discourse has come a really long long way. I do also question that “most expensive transport project ever” label. I reckon by the time we finish Puhoi to Wellsford (god send we never do) it would be well over that.